100 Walker Street North Sydney, NSW

Sector

Commercial

Location

North Sydney, NSW

The redevelopment of 100 Walker Street, North Sydney, represents a significant commercial development aimed at delivering a high-quality office and retail environment.

The project comprises a 48-storey office tower, featuring 40 storeys of commercial office space, retail premises across three levels, and a six-storey basement accommodating parking, bicycle facilities, and essential services. The proposal includes an open-to-the-sky pedestrian laneway connecting Walker Street and Little Spring Street, enhancing public domain accessibility.Given the scale and complexity of the development, our team provided critical design competition assistance, ensuring fire safety strategies were integrated from the earliest stages. This proactive approach allowed the architectural vision to align seamlessly with fire safety and compliance requirements while optimising the building’s performance.

Key challenges:

Fire Resistance and Stability: The Junction between the external wall and slab require smoke separation rather than full fire separation, necessitating a performance-based solution.
Egress and Exit Travel Distances: Several levels exceeded the Building Code of Australia (BCA)’s Deemed-to-Satisfy (DtS) exit travel distances, particularly in basement and upper levels, requiring performance-based justifications.
Atrium Fire Safety: The proposed multi-level atrium required tailored fire safety solutions to mitigate smoke movement and ensure compliance with fire separation requirements.
Hydrant and Sprinkler System Design: The fire hydrant booster was not positioned in sight of the main entrance, and the pump room location deviated from DtS provisions, necessitating alternative compliance measures.
Integration with Architectural Design: Maintaining fire safety compliance while preserving the highly transparent façade and large open spaces required innovative solutions to protect fire-isolated stairs and limit smoke spread.

Key solutions:

Structural Fire Protection: Proprietary fire-stopping materials were specified to ensure compliance with structural fire integrity requirements while accommodating the architectural façade detailing.
Performance-Based Egress Solutions: Advanced smoke detection, pressurisation strategies, and fire modelling supported extended travel distances while ensuring safe evacuation pathways.
Optimised Atrium Smoke Control: Deployable fire curtains and zone smoke control measures were implemented to maintain tenable conditions while preserving the open connectivity between levels.
Hydrant and Sprinkler Rationalisation: A combined sprinkler and hydrant system was designed with alternative fire-rated shielding and strategic booster positioning to meet performance objectives.
Fire-Isolated Stair Protection: Glazed stair enclosures were protected using radiant heat mitigation measures and controlled pressurisation to ensure fire-safe egress routes.

TACT1127_100_Walker_EA01_Podium_Laneway-scaled

TACT11217_100_Walker_EL03_Looking-back-towards-Harbour

Key outcomes:

Achieved BCA Compliance: The adopted fire engineering strategies successfully demonstrated compliance with BCA Performance Requirements, subject to approval from the Principal Certifying Authority and Fire & Rescue NSW.
Preserved Architectural Vision: Fire safety measures were integrated without compromising the design intent, ensuring a modern, transparent, and functional commercial space.
Enhanced Egress and Safety: Strategic exit placement and advanced fire suppression systems enhanced safety without reducing usable floor space.
Efficient and Sustainable Solutions: The adopted smoke hazard management strategy and performance-based sprinkler design ensured energy-efficient fire protection.
Facilitated Design Innovation: Our early involvement in design competition assistance contributed to the project’s successful development by aligning compliance with innovative design approaches.

A Landmark in Fire Safety and Innovation

The redevelopment of 100 Walker Street sets a new benchmark in commercial fire safety design, seamlessly integrating architectural ambition with regulatory compliance. Through our early design competition support, we ensured that fire engineering considerations were embedded within the project’s conceptualisation, allowing for a high-performance, future-ready office tower that prioritises safety, sustainability, and user experience.

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